If you’re part of this expansion, you might be surprised to find that Netflix has different movies and TV shows available for streaming in different countries. For example, Indian users of Netflix can’t watch House of Cards, a landmark Netflix series in the U.S. Heck, even the libraries of the U.S., the UK, and Canada are quite different.

In this article, we explore why Netflix content differs from country to country, and how you can watch everything on Netflix regardless of where you live!

Why Does the Netflix Library Differ?

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings explained why the same content isn’t available everywhere: territorial licensing. Here’s a brief explanation of how that works.

The producers of any movie or TV show want to maximize profits from their product. So they license their creation to different content distributors in different parts of the world. Naturally, the highest bidder wins the rights.

If Netflix’ research shows an interest for Star Wars in the U.S. but not in India, then it will buy the Star Wars territorial license for the U.S. but not for India. So U.S. Netflix users will be able to watch Star Wars, but Indian Netflix users will not.

If Netflix’ research shows an interest for Star Wars in both the U.S. and India, it will then bid for the territorial license for both regions. However, some other distributor might offer a higher price for the Indian territorial license, or perhaps already have the license. Then, once again, U.S. Netflix users will be able to watch Star Wars, but Indian users will not.

In short, audience interest and territorial licensing determine why the Netflix library varies depending from region to the next.

Hastings added that the company is trying hard to get global availability of all the content on Netflix so that geographic restrictions go away. But that will take some time. So, at least for now, different countries will have different Netflix libraries.

In the VPN, choose the country whose Netflix library you want to browse.

Start the Netflix app or go to the Netflix website.

Enjoy that country’s Netflix library!

The easiest and smoothest of the lot is Hola, a free VPN available for all platforms, which anyone can use because of how little setup is required. Hola classifies itself as a P2P (peer-to-peer) VPN, which means it will be using your bandwidth to make VPN connections for others, just as you use their bandwidth. But this raises several security issues, so some experts advise against using Hola.

One of the newest free services that works well on all browsers as well as smartphones is Betternet. It’s as easy as Hola and seems to be safer, but you can’t choose the country unless you’re upgrading to a premium license.

Among paid VPN services, I can vouch for TunnelBear and ExpressVPN working smoothly with Netflix on all platforms.

Smart DNS used to be more complicated but has recently become quite easy to use, thanks to several services that offer it as paid apps. In fact, there are Netflix-specific Smart DNS apps that you should check out.

For Windows and Mac: Smartflix

The best Netflix unlocking program is Smartflix. It shows every movie and TV show from Netflix worldwide, and it’s as simple as clicking on what you want to watch. You can try it free for a month, and it doesn’t require a credit card for the trial. After the trial, you’ll be required to make a one-time payment of $7.99.

The downside of Smartflix is that it is restricted to 720p content, much like what you will get on Google Chrome. Also, the program’s interface isn’t as smooth and user-friendly as Netflix itself. But hey, at least it’s simple!

For Android and iOS: Getflix

On Android and iOS, the best Netflix unlocking app is Getflix. While primarily meant for Australian users who want the Netflix library from other countries, it works just as smoothly when used from any nation.

Download the app and follow the on-screen instructions to set up Getflix. Once Getflix says you’re good to go, just launch Netflix like you normally would and start watching. It’s a 14-day free trial, after which pricing starts at $3.95-per-month.

How to Find What’s Available Elsewhere

So, now you know how to access Netflix from other countries, but that still leaves one problem. Apart from Smartflix, every solution above requires you to change countries until you find the movie or TV show you’re looking for.

Fortunately, for us lazy people, there’s now a handy Web app called Flixed which lets you search Netflix’ library across the world. One quick search and the service will tell you which country’s library you need to change your VPN or DNS to.

Flixed also has nifty “new arrivals” and “most popular” sections, as well as filters for your search to narrow down the results. Among similar “universal Netflix search engines”, I found Flixed to have the most updated library of all.

Alternately, if you simply want to browse a country’s catalog instead of searching it, I recommend trying out Netflixable. While Flixed also lets you browse, Netflixable is a more pleasing interface.

Share Your Tips or Netflix Favorites!

It’s important to bear in mind that Netflix has publicly stated it will be cracking down on proxy connections soon, making it difficult for those using VPNs or other such technologies to bypass regional licensing. So while the methods listed above work right now, we cannot guarantee they will work forever.

If the methods and services outlined above have indeed stopped working by the time you read this, please share your insights in the comments below. We suspect the battle between Netflix and people bypassing their territorial licensing restrictions will be a game of cat and mouse for many years to come. Thus, any tips you can share with your fellow readers may prove invaluable.

If that’s too boring for you, how about sharing the best movie or television show from your region. Add an IMDb link while you’re at it. It’ll be a fun way to discover new content from other regions! My recommendation is Ship of Theseus, available on Netflix USA, Australia, and India. Now, it’s your turn!

So if nothing works and your library is limited, watch what you want on illegal sites. I have an empty tablet I keep just for that purpose in case I catch a virus. You can watch literally anything in myriad sites across the world. I wouldn't mind paying a reasonable amount for watch anything, anywhere but with these restrictions, companies will only drive people to use unofficial sites. Tough on them!

I live in Japan.. No. of English movies are very limited in Japan... So i d like to get access for watching netflix library of US... How can i ?
Hussssh........ Platform is my LG WebOS3.0 Smart TV which has installed netflix APP.....

Paid IPVanish no longer words as netflix has gone all fascist. If i pay for a subscription, I should be allowed to watch it as i paid for the damn service. Well it turns out Netflix does not work in Bosnia where I am working. It just cut the VPN that has worked for the longest time. It should not be about contract with producers when i pay for the damn service. I can not even get on to cancel it.

Sadly, Netflix has begun forcing the content for the country your account is in rather than the country you're visiting. So, if you're signed up through the US but happen to be traveling through the Netherlands, you will no longer get the Netherlands library. You will only be able to access the US library. This sucks big time. I travel all over the world and enjoyed being able to view regional content based on where I was at at the time I accessed the service. Seeing the cultural differences provided insight into the peoples for the areas I visit. Now I'm stuck with being able to only watch the US library which is doesn't provide access to shows and seasons of shows that aren't being streamed in the US.

My experience is the opposite. At first I was psyched that Netflix worked here at all (last year it didn't for some reason; I chalked it up to not being viewable abroad, period). This year we're back vacationing in Austria, have a US account, but my daughter is unable to continue her Powerpuff Girls dependency. At first I thought Netflix just removed it as of September but friends back home assure me it's still viewable. Kind of frustrating! Although the peek into regional viewing habits (or predicted regional viewing habits, if I'm reading this article's reasoning correctly) is interesting, it's hard to forgo something you are paying for. Honestly, I think travelers should have both options.

I've tried all VPNs' and smart DNS' and none are working for more than a day before I get shut down. Heaven for bid a company would give it's customers what they want. Like watch uk movies is really going to hurt their customer base in US or UK...makes no sense to me.

I was fed up with all these Netflix rubbish. I tried different VPNs to access Netflix and none of them worked for more than 5 days. It was irritating. Then one of my friends suggest me to use Hide-My-IP and fortunately it is still working. Hope it will keep working.

Czech repblicc finally has netflix and the library is crap...I love to watch old star trek series, M.A.S.H. and other newer series I have never watched here in the Czech Republic. But they are available...Very few american TV show are. I was using a VPN successfully for well over a year but now im being blocked. Frankly the library here isnt worth paying for so i will be stopping my subscription.

I use us-unblock. My favorite feature is that you can update the DNS on your router so everything that connects to the internet from your home (tablets, cell phones, laptops, Rokus, Smart Tv's etc) will look like they are in the country you want them to be in.

Looks like Netflix have started blocking proxies and Smartflix - when I try to run I get an error saying that I have a Proxy or Unblocker running - when I went to the link this is what I found

Netflix says “You seem to be using an unblocker or proxy. Please turn off any of these services and try again.”

This error occurs when our systems have detected that you are connecting via a VPN, proxy, or “unblocker” service. Because our content library can vary by region and these types of connections are frequently used to bypass geolocation methods, you will not be able to stream when connected in this way.

Disable any proxies, VPNs, or other software that might route your Internet traffic outside of your current region.
For best results, we also recommend ensuring your device's network settings are set to Automatic.
If you need assistance disconnecting from one of these services or returning your connection settings to their defaults, please contact your device manufacturer or internet service provider.

I do wish these companies could turn a blind eye to this sort of thing